A Civil Partnership Registration can take place at any Register Office or Licensed Venue in England or Wales.

If you wish to hold a Civil Partnership ceremony you should check that the chosen venue is available and willing to accept your booking.

Before registration

Before registration can take place, you and your partner are required to each give notice in the registration authority where you and your partner have resided for at least eight nights immediately before giving notice at the Register Office. For example, if you arrive in a district on a Monday the earliest you can give notice is Tuesday week. A Notice of Civil Partnership is the legal preliminaries to a civil partnership registration whereby each party to the proposed registration must attend in person before a Civil Partnership Registrar and declare that they are legally free to contract a civil partnership registration and produce certain documents. A fee is payable for this service.

When you give notice, you will be asked to state where and when you wish the Civil Partnership registration to take place. These details will need to have been first agreed with the Local Authority where the registration is going to take place and the venue if it is outside your district of residence.

Subject to immigration control?

If you are BOTH British, Swiss or European Economic Area (EEA) Nationals, you are not subject to immigration control, therefore you can give notice of Civil Partnership at your local Register Office.

If either of you is NOT a British, Swiss or EEA National, you may be subject to immigration control. We have more information on legal requirements for civil partnership for foreign nationals.

If you both live in Surrey and pay your council tax to one of these boroughs, Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell, Guildford, Mole Valley, Reigate & Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Tandridge, Waverley, Woking, you can attend at either Guildford, Frimley, Leatherhead or Weybridge Register Offices to give notice of Civil Partnership, please telephone 0300 200 1002 to make an appointment. If either or both of you live outside of Surrey you must give notice of Civil Partnership at your local Register Office. After giving notice you must wait a further 15 clear days before the Civil Partnership can take place. For example, if notice is given on 1 July the Civil Partnership may take place on or after 17 July. A fee is payable for giving each notice.

How far in advance may I make a ceremony booking?

A booking can be made up to a year in advance with the district where you wish to have your civil partnership registration. The sooner you arrange to book the more likely it is that you will get the date and time of your choice. Dates and times are allocated on a first come, first served basis and priority is given to personal callers at the office.The Civil Partnership Registrar will be able to give you more precise information in this respect. Remember, once you have booked your registration ceremony you must give notice of civil partnership.

Documents required

When you meet with the Superintendent Registrar to make the formal arrangements you will need to produce certain documents, which will be explained when you make your appointment. Please note that in all cases photocopies are not acceptable.

It is important that you remember to bring everything to the notice appointment. Failure to produce all the necessary paperwork may mean that we are unable to take your notice and you may have to rebook for a later date.

You will need to produce your passport as proof of your nationality. If you were born in the United Kingdom and have never held a passport, your birth certificate may suffice. In this case, if you were born after 1 January 1983, your full birth certificate must be produced, together with the birth certificate of your mother or father to confirm your nationality. When you make your appointment booking, this will be discussed further if it applies to you.

You must also provide proof of residency e.g. recent utility bill or bank statement.

If either of you have been married before or through a previous civil partnership formation, you will need your original final divorce/dissolution papers bearing the court's original stamp*. If divorce/dissolution papers are not in English, you must provide a translation in addition to the original documents. If you are giving notice and following your divorce/dissolution, you have reverted back to your maiden/previous name (which is different to that on the decree absolute/dissolution papers); then your previous marriage/civil partnership certificate will be required to confirm the original name. Please ask when you make your appointment booking if you think that this may apply to you.
*Copies of divorce/dissolution papers can be obtained from the court where the decree absolute was granted.

If your husband, wife or civil partner died, a certificate of their death must be produced. If your name does not appear anywhere on that death certificate, then we will require to see your previous marriage/civil partnership certificate to confirm your relationship to the deceased.

Other documents may also be required depending on your circumstances. For example, any change of name documents such as deed poll or change of name deed. The consent of parents to a civil partnership where one of the couple is under the age of 18.

An appointment is required to give notice at Guildford, Frimley, Leatherhead or Weybridge, please telephone 0300 200 1002.

Please Note

On the day of the registration, you will need to bring with you at least two other people who are prepared to witness the registration and sign to that effect (if an interpreter is required they must act as a witness).

Your registration cannot go ahead unless the legal formalities have been completed. Notice of civil partnership must be given in person to the civil partnership registrar by you and your partner. No one else can do so on your behalf. Where an advance booking has been made it is essential that a formal notice is given at the prescribed time to the civil partnership registrar of your residential authority.

More information

Information is also available at www.gro.gov.uk